Platini: ‘Who would be so stupid as to buy Manchester United or Chelsea?’

Michel Platini, the president of Uefa, has again spoken out on the need for reform in football, claiming that the high debt levels at many of Europe's leading clubs mean they would not be able to find a buyer - even though many of the owners would like the chance to sell.

Platini spoke particularly about the situation at Manchester United, Inter Milan and Chelsea. "By putting in new rules we will protect the business of [Chelsea owner Roman] Abramovich, [Inter Milan owner] Massimo Moratti or [Manchester United owner Malcolm] Glazer. I am sure they want to sell but who will buy clubs with so many debts? Who would be that stupid?" Platini asked in an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "If you regulate the system, many people will be interested in buying. I am not a big economist but I am logical."

Platini told the newspaper that a Uefa committee will begin meeting from Monday to discuss new rules to curb the debts of Europe's leading clubs. "We have three years to regulate the situation," he said. "The idea is not to kill the clubs but to help them have better balance. As [Manchester United chief executive] David Gill says: 'the devil is in the details'.

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He added: "Gill is a very good guy and perhaps United will resolve the debts in the future. If you put the same regulations for all the clubs in Europe, they will accept. The philosophy to participate in our competitions is you must not spend more money than you receive. If United have €300 million and they spend €400 million – no!"

However, some fans have expressed concern that Platini's proposals would only reinforce the Champions League cartel, since there would be no way for clubs to compete with the income, which last year topped £50 million, which the likes of United receive from Uefa's top competition.

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